Review: Melissa McCarthy steals 'Identity Thief'

Comic powerhouse Melissa McCarthy proves to be a handful for Jason Bateman in "Identity Thief."

Story highlights

Melissa McCarthy steals the identity of Jason Bateman's character

The actress scored a major hit in 2011 comedy "Bridesmaids"

McCarthy gives "Identity Thief" a comic edge, reviewer says

Melissa McCarthy didn't quite come out of nowhere.

The actress did seven years of "Gilmore Girls," headlined "Mike & Molly" for CBS and played three roles in screenwriter John August's ingenious first feature as director, "The Nines." But her supporting turn in "Bridesmaids" was a revelation, a powerhouse comic performance that pushed that movie to another level of hilarity. In recent years, perhaps only Zach Galifianakis in "The Hangover" has had a comparable impact. McCarthy was lewd and fearless, a woman unashamed of her size and her sexual appetite.

How to follow that? There's no question she represents a challenge for Hollywood, not only because the industry still struggles to believe women can carry movies, but also because screen glamour is synonymous with thin.

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? 12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – Finally, "Gilmore Girls" is coming to Netflix! All seven seasons will air beginning October 1. Since the series ended in 2007, star Lauren Graham, who played Lorelai Gilmore, went on to star in NBC's "Parenthood" as another loving single mom. In November 2014, Graham will appear in a holiday comedy with the late Robin Williams, "A Merry Friggin' Christmas." Here's what the rest of the cast is up to:

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'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – After she left the super-smart Rory Gilmore behind, Alexis Bledel reprised her role as Lena in 2008's "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2." She's also starred in films like "Post Grad" and "The Kate Logan Affair." In 2012, Bledel had a recurring role on "Mad Men" that had her act alongside her now-husband, Vincent Kartheiser.

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'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – Melissa McCarthy's career has taken off since she played lovable chef Sookie St. James on "Gilmore Girls." From her underrated roles in "Samantha Who?" and "Life as We Know It" to her scene-stealing performance in "Bridesmaids," the "Mike & Molly" star never fails to make us laugh. In October, McCarthy will co-star with Bill Murray in the drama/comedy "St. Vincent."

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'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – After playing Dean Forester, Rory's first boyfriend, Jared Padalecki went on to star in films like "Friday the 13th" and TV shows like "Supernatural," which is in its 10th season.

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'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – Since playing Lane Kim, Keiko Agena has appeared on "Private Practice," "Castle," "Scandal" and other popular series.

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'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – Kelly Bishop, who played Emily Gilmore, returned to work with "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino in 2012 for an ABC Family series called "Bunheads." Bishop portrayed Fanny Flowers, the owner of the Paradise Dance Academy. The series, executive produced by Sherman-Palladino, unfortunately ended after one season.

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'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – After Richard Gilmore, Edward Herrmann showed up on shows such as "30 Rock" and "The Good Wife." He also appeared in movies like 2009's "The Six Wives of Henry Lefay" and 2011's "Son of Morning."

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'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – Yanic Truesdale hasn't done much in show business since his days at the Independence Inn as Michel Gerard. He's since appeared in Canadian series like "Rumeurs" and "Mauvais Karma."

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'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – Liza Weil has appeared on "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" after her turn as Paris Geller. She recently played the recurring role of Amanda Tanner on "Scandal" and Milly Stone on "Bunheads." This fall, she'll star in Shonda Rhimes' "How to Get Away with Murder."

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'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – After leaving his Stars Hollow diner behind, Scott Patterson, who played Luke Danes on the series, went on to appear in the short-lived series "Aliens in America" and "The Event." He's also shown up in some of the "Saw" movies and a few episodes of "90210."

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'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – Milo Ventimiglia played another of Rory's loves, Jess Mariano, on the series. The actor has since played Peter Petrelli on "Heroes" and appeared in films such as "Grown Ups 2" and "Grace of Monaco." He'll next appear in a crime drama with Jason Statham and Sofia Vergara called "Wild Card."

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'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now?12 photos

'Gilmore Girls': Where are they now? – Sean Gunn played quirky Kirk Gleason on the series. He has since appeared on episodes of "Bunheads" and "Glee," and most recently appeared in the 2014 blockbuster, "Guardians of the Galaxy."

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EXPAND GALLERY

Her first star vehicle, "Identity Thief," is not likely to be remembered as anyone's triumph (it's scoring in the 20-something percentile on the critics' aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes), but at least it does enough to show that McCarthy has what it takes. If she forges a movie career, she could really shake things up.

She's not quite flying solo, of course. Jason Bateman has top billing as Sandy Patterson, a financial officer in a big Denver firm. When reports start coming in that he's maxed out his credit card in Florida, Sandy is naturally upset. Turns out McCarthy has stolen his identity and is running up big bills on all his accounts. Oh, and she's missed her court date, which means there's an arrest warrant out in his name.

Mustering enough cash to fly down there, Sandy decides to apprehend the imposter himself and escort her back to Colorado so that they can straighten out the mess before he loses his job and his home. She may be a scam artist, but Sandy reckons she looks harmless enough.

And that would be his fatal error: If there is one thing McCarthy means to prove, it's surely that one look is not enough, because there is so much more to her than meets the eye. In one of the movie's better running gags, she proves it again and again when she delivers a vicious sucker punch to the throat of anyone foolish enough to threaten her well-being.

McCarthy, as Diana (which may or may not be her real name), is not about to give up without a fight. But she's also slippery in more subtle ways, an operator who knows how to manipulate people with the way she looks and how she talks. In some cases that involves playing on their pity -- and on ours, too, as the filmmakers imply that her weight is a symptom of her unhappy life. But McCarthy has the personality to subvert this, because her Diana may be lonely, but she is still more vital, more spontaneous and more fun than Sandy is ever likely to be.

In the best, most daring sequence, she picks up a guy in a bar (Eric Stonestreet as Big Chuck) and persuades him back to their motel room to have sex with her in front of her husband, Sandy, who "likes to watch." It's all a ploy to make an escape, but the scene pivots -- Big Chuck makes it about emotion, not sex, and she responds to his openness. Then things get physical. McCarthy pulls off these shifts with gusto but also delicacy and, yes, tact.

In a sharper movie (and let's shoot for the moon here -- Barbara Stanwyck as the con woman in "The Lady Eve"), Diana would play Bateman's smug executive for a sucker and take him for everything he's got. But in these recessionary times, even financial officers can be sympathetic underdogs, and instead the film contents itself with puerile cracks about his manhood and undeveloped hints that her bad influence might rub off in a good way.

Written by Craig Mazin ("The Hangover Part II") and directed by Seth Gordon ("Horrible Bosses"), "Identity Thief" borrows too much from the likes of "Midnight Run" and "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" without giving enough back -- especially since "Due Date" already went that route quite recently. But even with all its shortcomings and sentimental fudges, there is something about McCarthy's refusal to lie down and play the victim that gives it a comic edge.